Two for one twisting device

ABSTRACT

An improved two for one yarn twisting machine having an obstruction-free tubular guide rotatable between the yarn package and the take-up means. The tubular guide is rotated in the same direction and preferably at the same or greater speed as the twister balloon to decrease friction in the yarn linear movement, consequently decreasing yarn tension and enabling the use of higher linear speeds.

United States I Patent 1191 Petersen May 14, I974 [54] TWO FOR ONE TWISTING DEVICE 37,538 l/l863 Wilson 57/77.3 [13,831 4 1871 A h'b Id I 57 77.4 [76] Inventor: Philip Petersen 1427 Hartford 1 433 275 101922 57577 4 Ave., Charlotte, NC. 28209 5 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS [22] 1971 1,045,746 10/1966 01661131116111 57/58.59 [2]] App]. 154 951 1,440,294 4/1966 France 57/58.59

Primary Examiner-John Petrakes [52] US. Cl 57/58.83, 57/58.59, 57/156 ll'lt. [58] Field of Search 57/58.49, 58.52, 58.59,

5.7/58 83 58 86 58 7 77 4 An improved two for one yarn tw1st1ng machine hav- 1 ing an' obstruction-free tubular guide rotatable ,be- [561 Reeren'ws CM 353111231521;$33111Z'ZTHFXZZ'ZKZSZ E? UNITED STATES PATENTS erably at the same or greater speed as the twister bal- 2,143,203 Maxham loon to decrease friction in the yarn linea movement z j consequently decreasing yarn tension and enabling the ac 1e... 3,106,816 10/1963 Mackie... 57/5s.52 v 9 of h'gher near Speeds 3,377,79 0 4/1968 Brockel 57/5859 6 Claims, 2 Drawing Figures PATENTEUMAY 14 974 SHEET 3. OF 2 INVENTOR PHILIP R. EETERSEM I ATTORNEYS PATENTEUMAY 14 I974 INVENTOR PHILIP R. PETERSEN ATTORNEYS friction can lead to higher 1 TWO FOR ONE TWISTING DEVICE guide means positioned between the twisting device and a take-up reel in such a machine. In a two for one twisting-machine two turns or twists are imparted to the yarn for each revolution. In the present highly developed state of the art, there is no problem in inducing a more than adequate amount of twists in a given length of yarn. In fact, it is perfectly possible to induce so much twist that it will lead to breaking of the yarn, particularly in fine or delicate yarns. Thus a balance must' be achieved between the linear speed of the "yarn and the amount of twisting. If yarn breakage occurred due to overspeed,the prior art. usually 'cut back on the amount of speed in order to control breakage. This invention utilizes a tubular guide means which will enable faster linear movement so as to accomodate the twisting rather than cutting it back. In addition, some modern yarns require very little twisting thus theoretically enabling a higher linear yarn travel. But as a practical matter that higher speed can not be reached due to friction in the twisting device which leads to tension and yarn breakage. In other words, reduction of linear yarn production rates with either low or high twist yarns.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide an improvement in a two for one twisting machine whereby yarn tension can be greatly'decreased so as to minimize the amount of yarn breakage, particularly of delicate yarns when operating at high speed.

It is a further object of this invention to minimize fric-.

tion along the linear travel of the yarn so as to facilitate maximum speed of movement. Further objects and advantages will become apparent from the following specification taken in connection with the drawings which form a part of this application and which are given for purposes of illustration only and not oflimitation, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side view ofa twisting machine employing the improvement of this invention; and- FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line 2 -2 of FIG. 1,

Turning now to the drawings in greater detail, the twisting device 10 has a yarn package 12 in a stationary position within a container 14. Co-axially located within thecontainer is a twister tube located below its extension 16 which is rotatably mounted to be driven by a belt 19 through a pulley 20. The pulley is preferably grooved and the belt has complementary cogs so that a fixed speed can be maintained without any slip or drift in relation to the driving motor. The belt is trained around pulleys 22 and 24 and is driven by a motor. The return run of the belt is on the opposite side of the machine (not shown) and follows a path similar to that shown.

The yarn 28 is brought up from the package 12, through an optional flyer 30 is then threaded through the center of the twister tube 16 extension and out through a radial opening in disc 32 where it is brought up inside-a balloon control shield 34. A loop or balloon is formed in the yarnby the centrifugal force of the twister as the yarn moves off the package and upwardly. At 36 is a conventional take-up means such as a reel with a traversing device for laying up smooth layers on that reel.

The preceding two paragraphs describe a device which is well known in the prior art and is described here only for purposes of complete illustration. The improvement of this invention will now be discussed in detail. 7

Located between the take-up means 36 and the package 12 is the tubular guide assembly 38 of this invention. This tubular guide, of suitably hard material in order to resist wear by the rapidly travelling yarn 28 moving lengthwise therethrough, is mounted for free rotation in support 46 by means of ball bearings 44 (see FIG. 2). The guide is driven by belt 18 through a pulley 40 which preferably has grooves which mate with cogs on the belt so as to provide a positive, non-slip, nond'rift drive. The belt is trained around pulleys 48 and 50 and driven by any suitable means so that exact control of the speed between the tube 16 and the guide 42 can be assured. Thus, pulleys 40 and 20 would be of a diameter such that the guide 42 would preferably turn at the same or greater speed than the twister. They, of course, turn in the same direction. Belts l8 and 19 could be driven from a common motor such as one having a vertically extending shaft parallel to pulleys 20 and 40.

As the yarn moves lengthwise along its path of travel between the package 12 and the take-up means 36, the yarn itself is also moving in a wide sweeping loop or balloon which will tend to frictionally engage any surface with which it comes in contact. Through rotation of the guide 42 in the same direction as the twister tube 16, the wiping" action of the yarn against the interior of the guide 42 is virtually eliminated. This eliminates most of the tension in the yarn, thus making it possible to move delicate yarns at a very high speed without breaking. To further faciliate this high speed .movement, the inlet and outlet of the guide 42 have smoothly roundededges 54 and 56 in order to eliminate any sharp bends or friction points.

'Optionally,-these ends could be flared slightly or funnel shaped in order to provide a sufficiently gradual curve, the necessity for this rounding at the inlet being dictated by the spacing between the guide and the package below and at the outlet by the spacing between the guide and the take-up mechanism above. The im- I portant point is that the guide is rotating in a direction which corresponds to the rotational direction of the balloon as it travels around the package after having been twisted. The speed of rotation of the guide is preferably equal to or greater than the speed of the twister although any rotation of the guide assists in friction and tension reduction.

In the prior art various forms of fixed or freely moving guides or idler rollers were positioned between the take-up means-thus enabling very high speeds to be reached as the yarn moves through. By reducing or nearly eliminating the tension within the twisting balloon, damage to the yarn being twisted is alleviated and limitations on the linear yarn travel rate due to tension no longer exist. By eliminating yarn tensions, it becomes possible to increase yarn production in a ratio to the tension reduced. For example, if a tension of 600 grams in a yarn is reduced by 200 grams, production can be increased back up to the point where 600 grams tension is again present.

The process or method of this invention involves driving the balloon for the purpose of reducing the size of the balloon and hence reducing twisting tension. The size of the balloon is in direct relationship to these tensions. If the balloon is driven through a fixed holding point such as a wheel, the balloon must be rotated at precisely the same speed as the spindle; but, if the balloon is twirled freely, such as through the tubular guide of the present invention, it can be driven at any speed and that speed is usually equal to or less than that of the guide speed. Thus, the method of the present invention involves reducing the twisting tension of a yarn in a two for one twister by eliminating friction points between the yarn package and the take-up means. By rotating the tubular guide in the same direction and at the same or greater speed as the two for one twister, the yarn tension within the balloon is substantially reduced, principally because both ends of the balloon are being driven at constant and controlled speeds thus resulting in absorbing or transferring yarn balloon inertia from the balloon into the driven tubular guide. It is thus important that the twister and the guide be driven to permit close control of the speed of each, allowing no lack of control of such speeds which would cause drift or slippage which would result in a corresponding increase in tension in the balloon.

What is claimed is:

1. In a two for one strand twisting machine having a stationary yarn package, a single rotatable twister tube located coaxially within said package, a rotatable disc below said package and take-up means above said package for drawing yarn therefrom and forming a free balloon in the yarn between the disc and the take-up means, the improvement comprising means between the balloon and take-up means to reduce friction on the yarn having:

a. a rotatable tubular guide for the yarn to pass through positioned between the balloon and the take-up means, the guide having a bore with smoothly curved ends and being free of obstructions so as to provide an open path for the yarn to pass therethrough;

b. means to drive the twister tube and the tubular guide in the same direction and at such a speed as to maintain the rotational speed of the yarn while passing through the tubular guide at substantially the same speed as the rotational speed of the balloon.

2. The device of claim 1 in which the tubular guide is driven at the same speed or greater speed than the twister.

3. A method for twisting a yarn comprising:

a. removing said yarn from a stationary package by passing it downwardly through the center of the package to a twister which swings a free balloon of yarn around said package to induce a twist therein;

b. moving said yarn lengthwise as it is removed from the package and winding it onto a take-up reel;

0. passing the yarn through an obstruction-free rotatable tubular guide positioned between said package and said take-up reel;

d. rotating the guide in the same direction as the twister and at such a speed as to maintain the rotational speed of the yarn while passing through the tubular guide at substantially the same speed as the rotational speed of the balloon so as to decrease tension in the balloon by eliminating friction opposing said lengthwise yarn movement.

4. The method of claim 3 in which the tubular guide is rotated at the same speed or greater speed than the twister.

5. A method of increasing the linear yarn speed in a two for one twister comprising interposing a tubular guide means between the two for one twister and the take-up means, passing the yarn directly from the twister through the tubular guide means so as toestablish a free balloon therebetween and rotating the balloon and guide means as the yarn passes through so that I both ends of the balloon are rotated at the same speed so as to transfer the yarn balloon inertia to the tubular guide.

6. A yarn friction reducing balloon control device for a two-for-one twister having a stationary'yarn package, a single rotatable twister tube located co-axially within the package, a rotatable disc below the package and take-up means above the package forming a balloon in the yarn between the disc and the take-up means comprising an elongated guide tube positioned between the balloon and the take-up means for the yarn to pass through, said guide tube having an open bore without obstruction, said guide tube acting to contact the yarn and guide it without introducing twist or friction or interfering with the yarn linear travel therethrough and means to drive said guide tube and twister tube inthe same direction and at the same speed. 

1. In a two for one strand twisting machine having a stationary yarn package, a single rotatable twister tube located coaxially within said package, a rotatable disc below said package and take-up means above said package for drawing yarn therefrom and forming a free balloon in the yarn between the disc and the takeup means, the improvement comprising means between the balloon and take-up means to reduce friction on the yarn having: a. a rotatable tubular guide for the yarn to pass through positioned between the balloon and the take-up means, the guide having a bore with smoothly curved ends and being free of obstructions so as to provide an open path for the yarn to pass therethrough; b. means to drive the twister tube and the tubular guide in the same direction and at such a speed as to maintain the rotational speed of the yarn while passing through the tubular guide at substantially the same speed as the rotational speed of the balloon.
 2. The device of claim 1 in which the tubular guide is driven at the same speed or greater speed than the twister.
 3. A method for twisting a yarn comprising: a. removing said yarn from a stationary package by passing it downwardly through the center of the package to a twister which swings a free balloon of yarn around said package to induce a twist therein; b. moving said yarn lengthwise as it is removed from the package and winding it onto a take-up reel; c. passing the yarn through an obstruction-free rotatable tubular guide positioned between said package and said take-up reel; d. rotating the guide in the same direction as the twister and at such a speed as to maintain the rotational speed of the yarn while passing through the tubular guide at substantially the same speed as the rotational speed of the balloon so as to decrease tension in the balloon by eliminating friction opposing said lengthwise yarn movement.
 4. The method of claim 3 in which the tubular guide is rotated at the same speed or greater speed than the twister.
 5. A method of increasing the linear yarn speed in a two for one twister comprising interposing a tubular guide means between the two for one twIster and the take-up means, passing the yarn directly from the twister through the tubular guide means so as to establish a free balloon therebetween and rotating the balloon and guide means as the yarn passes through so that both ends of the balloon are rotated at the same speed so as to transfer the yarn balloon inertia to the tubular guide.
 6. A yarn friction reducing balloon control device for a two-for-one twister having a stationary yarn package, a single rotatable twister tube located co-axially within the package, a rotatable disc below the package and take-up means above the package forming a balloon in the yarn between the disc and the take-up means comprising an elongated guide tube positioned between the balloon and the take-up means for the yarn to pass through, said guide tube having an open bore without obstruction, said guide tube acting to contact the yarn and guide it without introducing twist or friction or interfering with the yarn linear travel therethrough and means to drive said guide tube and twister tube in the same direction and at the same speed. 